


Sleepless

by swordPrincess



Series: Labstuck [5]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Labstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-06
Updated: 2013-03-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 12:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swordPrincess/pseuds/swordPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake has himself awake over the plan for the next day and Dirk invites himself over.</p><p>-</p><p>labstuck.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally planned in late September, before I even got ao3. Other ideas have distracted me since, but here we are again. Maybe I can finish writing the actually plot-relevant fic soon-ish.
> 
> As always, see the Labstuck tumblr for additional info and if you want to ask the characters something.

Jake paced his room restlessly. He had barely tried laying on his bed for two minutes at a time in various intervals before giving up in each instance. He couldn't bring his mind to concentrate on much either, it wandered relentlessly, always returning to what might happen the next day - what he had to do, what might go wrong, the unknown of what might occur even if everything should succeed.

It was both immensely exciting as well as nerve wracking. He had spoken with confidence to Jade last they had spoke, but now in the dark of night with nothing but his own thoughts, reality started catching up with him in a slight panic.

His legs took him to computer for a bit, searching for a distraction...perhaps a film would be in order.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a name lit up on his chum list. He must have forgotten to log off earlier. The movement of his mouse now caused the program to no longer list him as idle.

Before he could make the decision to log off or inquire with his friend, a message box appeared.

timaeusTestified [TT] began pestering golgothasTerror [GT]

TT: So you are there.  
GT: I was just pondering logging off when you saw fit to pester me. What the blazes are you doing up still anyway?  
TT: I would ask you the same if I didn't already know the answer.  
TT: Is it mostly nerves or excitement?  
TT: I'd normally guess the later, but certain circumstance makes me feel the former shouldn't be ruled out.  
GT: Are you implying you are also thinking about the plan tomorrow?  
TT: You're getting better at that, Jake.  
TT: So would you like to talk? Conversation is much better for distraction than anything you could manage on your own. Thought cycles are a fucking bitch.  
GT: I must confess my mind has quite betrayed me it seems. And thus i could not say no to a bit of company.  
TT: Hmm.  
TT: Maybe I should just head over, then.  
TT: See you soon.  
timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering golgothasTerror [GT]  
GT: Wait dirk!  
GT: Fuck.

Dirk was gone and signed off before Jake could convince him otherwise. Not that he was really sure he wanted to, it was just that maybe they should have talked about this a little more? What would the guards think of Dirk visiting him in the middle of the night when they had class the next day?

Jake stayed logged on just in case his best bro were to get caught and sent back from whence he came, but it turned out to be unneeded, for he didn't have to wait long before a knock came to his door. So Dirk had already gotten past the guarded hallway and into his living space.

Jake opened the door up to reveal Dirk standing there in a black tank and orange plaid pajama bottoms. His ridiculous pointy shades were, as always, covering up his eyes.

"You have me quite befuddled how you manage to slip past guards in a lighted hallway," Jake commented as he let the somewhat taller boy in, "but I suppose I should chalk it up to yet another one of your mysterious ways."

The hallway lights were never turned off. As much as the project heads trusted their security, they wouldn't give the kids even so casual an advantage.

"I do have my ways," Dirk answered him as he strode past him, then turned back to face Jake again. "Couldn't have been too bad, though. Not like I was trying to get out or anything. That would be fucking insane."

Before Jake could say anything else, Dirk was back over to him and grabbing his wrist. "Speaking of getting out," Dirk continued to speak, looking down at their arms, "when is the last time you went outside? Three years ago?"

Jake snatched his limb back away from the other boy's grasp and crossed it across his chest. "Oh don't be ridiculous, Dirk!" he complained. "Of course I have been out and about...when the occasion calls for it." If he were honest with himself, the "occasion" didn't call for it all that often, and certainly not for extended periods of time anymore. But that wasn't his fault! That quad out in the middle of the complex just wasn't as interesting as it was when they were small. There were toys and things to explore then. Now other things held his interest. "Not that I'm pale anyway, so I think you are quite exaggerating the point!"

Dirk just looked at him with a single eyebrow raised. "Jake, you aren't physically capable of being pale," he pointed out evenly.

"You know what? Shut the fuck up!"

The words were not shouted in anger, and Dirk laughed lightly at them. "Streaming video sites have ruined you, I swear." He turned his head to glance at Jake's computer. "I suppose if I ask what we should do, that's what you'd come up with?"

Jake shrugged. "Well, tell me what else there is to do this late a night besides talk, if you're so clever."

Dirk leaned into him, making Jake take a slight step back. Their faces were still close enough that Jake could feel Dirk's breath slightly as he spoke. "We could make out."

Jake sputtered and backed away more. A bit of warmth came to his cheeks. It wasn't the first time that Dirk had made such a suggestion, but he hadn't always reacted like this. A year ago he probably would have thought it a joke and laughed it off. But he couldn't find humor in it anymore, now that he knew that somewhere behind those pointy shades of his, it was something that Dirk would very much like to do.

"You shouldn't joke about that anymore."

"Who says I was joking?"

Jake looked at Dirk's face for a period of time amounting to less than one second before looking away again. "...Just because I let you kiss me that one time-"

"Let you?" Dirk interrupted. "That's not how I remember it."

It wasn't how Jake remembered it either. His brain could get somewhat foggy on the issue sometimes, but he somewhat remembered that the kisser had been himself. And also that no one had exactly asked permission.

Jake looked at his feet. It always got awkward when this subject came up. One time Jake had blunderingly offered to be Dirk's boyfriend, but Dirk had declined for mysterious reasons. It came up less often after that.

"I don't get it," Jake said quietly, and then yawned.

"Tired?" Dirk asked, tilting his head ever so slightly.

Jake nodded, realizing it was true. All that bundle of nerves had left him, and the feeling of the hours he'd been awake was catching up to him. "Seems everything has been sapped out of me well and good."

"Should I leave?" Dirk asked, and Jake looked up from nearly nodding off on his feet.

For whatever reason, Jake found himself shaking his head, although he was too tired to examine his reasons. Something like he didn't want to be alone, or perhaps the thoughts might come back. "Stay," he clarified verbally before walking over to faceplant on his bed. He turned his head and removed his glasses a second or two later with a slight pained noise.

"Should I sleep on the floor?" Dirk's voice managed to penetrate his consciousness again.

"Just sleep in the frigging bed, Dirk," Jake half-mumbled. He wasn't awake enough anymore to examine if his easy assent to sleeping in the same bed as his would-be suitor was a sign that he thought of him as just a friend and therefore they were both guys and sleeping like this didn't matter, or if he thought of him as more and this might be something that he wanted. But then, he wasn't much for introspection anyway. The easiest answer was that he trusted Dirk regardless.

As Dirk settled himself in, Jake turned over a bit to catch his eyes, but those pointy contraptions were still covering them. "Are you going to take off your shades?" he asked.

"Are you going to shut off the light?" was the retort.

"Oh."

Jake could see as well in the dark as he could in the light (not that he could see all that terribly well without his glasses in either), and in his sleepiness he didn't notice the amount of color that light provided enough to remember that detail. He reached over to the nightstand to shut it and he could hear soft click as Dirk's glasses were put down on the other side.

Jake turned back, meeting Dirk's eyes for just one moment. It was such a shame really, that those eyes had to be hidden away when the light was bright enough to see them properly. They appeared to Jake now as a dull sort of orange, but he was sure they must be much nicer than that.

"Goodnight, Jake," Dirk spoke quietly and turned away from him, head to the edge of the pillow.

"Goodnight Dirk," Jake responded, letting himself relax and drift off as his eyes and body had been begging him to the past few minutes.

At some point during the night, he felt the sensation of being held. Arms wrapped around him, making him feel warm and safe. He couldn't discern if the feeling was reality or no more than a fleeting dream, but it felt pleasant and he was pushed further into sleep.

When he woke up in the morning there was nothing but a slight residual warmth beside him.

Dirk was gone.


End file.
